The Costume Centre, which is due to open in 2015, will house more than 20,000 costumes for opera and ballet productions currently in repertory, as well as the Royal Opera House archive collection, which includes around six thousand items that date back to the 19th century.

Currently, Royal Opera House costumes are kept in locations across the UK, including Aberdare and Dover; the new centre in Thurrock will hugely reduce the carbon footprint of transporting costumes, as well as allowing for more efficient management and preservation of costumes still in use. The centre will also provide permanent workrooms for students, in partnership with South Essex College, and offer specialist placements with the Royal Opera House Costume Department.

‘With the completion of the Costume Centre, there will be outstanding facilities for costume production and training, as well as for historic costumes and the running costume stock of the Royal Opera House all on site,’ says Matt Lane, Head of ROH Thurrock and Thames Gateway. ‘We know that these incredible materials and spaces will inspire visitors, excite learners and offer new opportunities for even more people to engage with the creative industries’.

‘It's great to see the next site development getting underway. Businesses and learners alike feel inspired by the Park already, and they can't wait for the new centre to open its doors in 2015,’ says Andrea Stark, Chief Executive of the High House Production Park.

‘The new Costume Centre will be an exemplar in low carbon design,’ says Andrea. ‘In addition, alongside this building project, the Royal Opera House is running an innovative low carbon programme called Culture Change. This is helping many small companies and freelancers in our sector to increase their resilience by learning how to reduce their carbon footprint and improve their bottom line.’

To find out more about our work in Thurrock or join us for a tour of the Production workshop, visit our website.

Orsola de Castro is an ethical fashion designer and the founder of From Somewhere, a designer label that works with the pre-consumer fabric surplus from the luxury fashion industry. Speaking recently at the Culture Change launch conference at the Royal Opera House, she discusses upcycling, waste, creativity and the “appreciation of something mended over something new”.

After the conference, Yvonne Chichi Chukwuemeka, Marketing/ Communication Support Intern spoke to Orsola to discuss her ambitions, Fashion Revolution and emerging trends in sustainable design.

What is the most unique experience you have had as a result of being sustainable?
I value my entire journey at the heart of sustainability in fashion… but I guess that the best bit still remains the creative aspect, turning waste into beauty, which is just my passion.

How do you hope your sustainable designs will influence people?
I hope it makes people think, and question, and (from a lighthearted approach) become involved. The public has an incredible power to spearhead a different industry if it chooses to ask for more transparency from their favourite brands.

What's trending in the sustainable design world?
Transparency and upcycling are suddenly very sexy words.

What are your top tips for Small and Medium Enterprises and sole traders who want to become more sustainable?
There are a multitude of organizations which can help young designers and SMEs become more informed and, subsequently, more involved. Good examples include the Clean Clothes campaign or the Ethical Fashion Forum and Lucy Siegle’s book ‘To Die For’. There are plenty of ways to change, and improve and make sustainability a design choice for the future.

The Culture Change programme is a Royal Opera House initiative, supported by the European Regional Development Fund. It provides support to small and medium-sized enterprises working in the creative and cultural sector in the East of England.

Addressing the Culture Change conference, Chris Rapley, Professor of Climate Science at University College London stated his belief that creativity must be at the centre of shaping future climate and asked the audience of cultural Small and Medium Enterprises to be confident about sustainability and the difference they can make. He went on to call for cultural organizations to "push on the door, it's unlocked".

Speaking at the event, which took place at the Royal Opera House in February, Professor Rapley shared messages that came out of the first Working Group report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He stated that the report indicated a "pattern of evidence [which] shows that the world is warming. It's completely unequivocal" and discussed the evidence which demonstrates that over the last 30-50 years, humans have had a major impact on the planetary system.

He warned that if our behaviour remains unchanged, we will see more climate disruption. However, he outlined how we can help shape the future and emphasized that creativity must be at the base of this.

Cheap energy, new investment models that take advantage of our interconnectivity and increased confidence will be vital to shaping our future. Rapley believes that these can only be achieved through creative thinking.

The event launched the Royal Opera House Culture Change programme, which aims to support creative and cultural industries as they develop sustainable practices. The programme is designed for SMEs in the East of England and offers a minimum of 12 hours of free business support to participating organizations.

As part of the Culture Change programme, environmental charity Julie’s Bicycle is offering free bespoke one-to-one support to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the East of England. This free support, which is available until March 2015, will help businesses to use and understand IG Tools (Industry Green Tools), and to learn sustainable business practices.

IG Tools, created by Julie’s Bicycle specifically for use across all creative and cultural sectors, are a set of carbon calculator tools that accurately measure a businesses’ environmental impact. Designed to take measurements from a variety of activity, including touring and festivals, the IG tools help to pinpoint environmental impact points and so create sustainable management strategies.

SMEs in the East of England can receive support in learning their way around these tools with the assistance of a dedicated environmental advisor from Julie’s Bicycle, ensuring that they can:

Collect relevant data on their activities;

Measure their carbon footprint;

Identify key areas of environmental impact and associated costs;

Develop targeted actions to reduce these impacts and costs;

Track their progress over time.

The advisers will also help businesses to:

Improve their environmental know-how;

Develop a business case for environmental action;

Develop and implement an environmental policy and action plan;

Address specific environmental actions around areas including design, production, office, and business travel;

Julie's Bicycle is an environmental charity dedicated to making environmental sustainability intrinsic to the business, art and ethics of the creative industries. It is currently working with over 1,000 creative businesses in the UK and internationally, using the latest tools and resources to support sustainable business growth.

Andrea Stark, the Chief Executive of High House Production Park chaired the conference and keynote speakers included fashion designer Orsola de Castro and Chris Rapley, Professor of Climate Sciences at University College London.

We will soon be publishing details of forthcoming events and practical support on offer from Culture Change, which will help participating businesses work more sustainably - saving money and reducing impact on the environment.

Future events include a free workshop on 24 April entitled Environmental Action Planning for Creative Businesses by Julie’s Bicycle, webinars, and bespoke support. Find out more.

The conference included a range of talks from industry experts, panel discussions and taster workshops to give participants both an insight into - and some practical experience of - what Culture Change will offer throughout the year.

It was the first of several events; future events include a free workshop on 8 May entitled Environmental Action Planning for Creative Businesses by Julie’s Bicycle, webinars, and bespoke support. Find out more.

‘The Culture Change conference last week provided an excellent introduction to the programme,’ said Michelle Flinn, Business Support Programme Manager. ‘Delegates went away with a comprehensive overview of the thinking around the different aspects of sustainability.’

Professor Rapley, one of the UK’s leading voices on climate change, opened the conference with a scientific overview and a panel discussion about the benefits of sustainable thinking to creative businesses, and how to support innovation and sustainability at scale.

Delegates also took part in a range of practical workshops, including ‘Sustainability from Scratch’, ‘Sustainable Design and Production’, ‘Communicating Sustainability’, and ‘Overcoming Barriers to Business’.

‘By attending the event I gained inspiration from other organisations on how they are improving their sustainability,’ said one delegate. ‘I now have an understanding of where I can find support to make basic environmental changes within cultural organisations.’

The conference concluded with an In Conversation discussion of fashion, business, environment and ethics, with Orsola de Castro (Creative Director of From Somewhere and Reclaim to Wear) and Lucy Siegle (journalist, broadcaster and founder of The Observer Ethical Awards).

Culture Change works with small and medium-sized creative businesses, offering support, knowledge and expertise to encourage sustainable development. The programme includes a series of conferences, a programme of specific low-carbon-focused business support seminars, use of a set of carbon calculator tools, and the creation of a peer-to-peer business support network. To find out more, visit the website for our Culture Change programme.

On 5 February 2014, the Royal Opera House is hosting a free conference to launch Culture Change, a new business support programme for creative and cultural industries based in the East of England.

The conference will open at 9am with a networking opportunity, followed by an introduction by Alex Beard at 10.15am and the first presentation. It will close at 4pm. View the full agenda.

The programme, run by the Royal Opera House and supported by the European Regional Development Fund, is designed to encourage sustainable development in small to medium enterprises by offering bespoke advice, a support network and a series of free workshops and seminars.

The conference will include panel discussions about practical action on sustainability, led by speakers including Chris Rapley (Professor of Climate Science at University College, London), Orsola De Castro (leading eco fashion designer and founder of Esthetica) and Lucy Siegle (environmental journalist); taster workshops; introductions to the latest marketing strategies, carbon calculator tools and funding opportunities; and an interactive session to highlight sustainability objectives.